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The Senate voted 97-0 to confirm Judith Levy for a seat on the U.S. District Court for Michigan's Eastern District on Wednesday. Levy, who has served as assistant U.S. attorney in the district since 2000, was nominated by President Barack Obama in July. "The president welcomes the confirmation of Judith Levy," White House spokesman Shin Inouye said.

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The Colombia legislature is set to get its first openly LGBT member, as voters on Sunday elected lesbian Angelica Lozano Correa to represent the capital region of Bogatá. “For the LGBT community this means that we are completely out of the closet, that we have a voice from our own community in the Congress," Lozano said.

The Obama administration announced Wednesday its nomination of Judge Darrin Gayles for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first openly gay black male federal judge. "We commend the administration for nominating a qualified jurist who will also add diversity to the federal bench," Steven Thai, press secretary for the Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute, said. Gayles' nomination comes after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., blocked another nominee, also an openly gay black man.

The U.S. Senate voted 98-0 on Tuesday to confirm Todd Hughes for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, making him the first openly gay federal appellate judge. Hughes, who currently serves as deputy director of the Justice Department's commercial litigation branch, will decide on patent issues and veterans' claims as part of his new responsibilities on the bench.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund has endorsed Massachusetts state Rep. Carl Sciortino, an openly gay Democrat who intends to run for Congress if U.S. Rep. Ed Markey vacates his seat to run for the Senate. "Carl is a proven leader and a tireless champion for LGBT equality. ... When he brings that tenacity to Washington he'll be a standout voice for not only for his district, but for LGBT Americans everywhere," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.